VIDEO -Community Council development session hailed a success

John A. MacInnes

Almost 80 community councillors from across the city gathered to take part in the first Community Council Development Day.

Members of Glasgow’s 82 community councils were invited to join the networking and development event run by Glasgow City Council. Council services, Police Scotland, Scottish Fire and Rescue and Community Safety Glasgow also attended offering information, advice and contacts for further engagement in local areas.

The session examined ways that community councillors could effectively represent their communities, influence decision making and services in their local area and was a chance to network with each other.

There were information stalls run by community councils themselves showcasing examples of where they had brought about change or in some cases stopped things happening for the good of their local area.

As part of the day the Democratic Society held a discussion on how community councils, as independent bodies, could find opportunities to work together to influence policy making in terms of public participation.

Workshops in the afternoon covered a variety of subjects including running a campaign to effect change, making funding applications, organising and promoting community events and making the best use of social media to connect with their communities.

Pleased with the turnout at the event Councillor Soryia Siddique, executive member for communities and citizens, who spoke introduced a short film about community councils during the morning, said: “ I was really encouraged by the number of people who came along to the development day. There was a real sense of positivity and dynamism in the room with everyone there having a common sense of purpose in caring for their communities.

“What we aimed to do through this session was give community councillors the information and tools to inspire and empower them to return to their areas and make plans for the future knowing that there a variety of sources help in achieving their aims. We will look at feedback from this event to inform other support events.”

The day was very well received from community councillors too. Sandy Busby, from Yoker Community Council, said: “It was a great networking opportunity - working with peers across the city from all walks of life with common issues in their communities.”